On Friday morning York held its seventh annual assembly in honor of Veterans Day. Students and staff, along with members of the York community, packed into the Dick Campbell Gymnasium to pay respect to those in our community who have served our country.

In addition, York once again displayed flags at the front entrace of the campus in honor of alumni who have perished during the call of duty.

As many Veterans processed into the gym, those in attendance rose from their seats to show respect. After they were seated, several speakers presented stories of their experiences and offered words of wisdom about patriotism and freedom.

The featured speaker was Mr. Wes Becton, father of senior Sam Becton, and former Army Ranger and commander of the Honor Guard.  He gave an inspiring speech about his experiences in the service and the veterans who inspired him, including his own father and former Elmhurst mayor, Abner S. Ganet.

Becton stressed to students that if there’s anything they remember from his talk it’s “taking this time to pause and realize that at this moment, in places we may never have heard of or even be able to pronounce correctly, there are young men and women not much older than you, who are cold, tired, and maybe even scared” because they have made the brave choice to serve and protect their country.

“I thought that the speaker did a fantastic job with his storytelling about being in the military,” said sophomore AJ Datoli. “He had a different approach as far as speaking.”

Although the gym was packed, including seats on the floor, there was an atmosphere of genuine respect and engagement, which was enhanced by the symphonic band’s reverent peformances of several patriotic staples, including the “Star Spangled Banner” and “Taps.”

“I thought it was a great display of patriotism,” senior Sam Kritikos said. “The band did a tremendous job and the speaker was very inspiring”

The Veterans Day Assembly is a great way for York to show its appreciation for the heroes that served our country and gives students an opportunity to give thanks to our Veterans.

“I thought that it was very inspiring,” sophomore Kam Stearns said. “It think that it’s awesome that our entire school got together to thank those who fought for our freedom.”